US jobseekers’ searches to Ireland double in week after Trump victory

Globally, Ireland saw the third biggest surge in job searches from the US following the shock Donald Trump victory in the presidential election. New Zealand saw the biggest increase, followed by Canada.

According to Indeed, job searches out of the US to Ireland surged to almost twice their usual volumes in the immediate aftermath of Donald Trump’s election victory.

Ireland saw the third biggest surge, increasing 91pc; Canada was in second place, rising 137pc; and New Zealand showed the biggest increase of 305pc.

‘Ireland joined Canada and New Zealand amongst the top three countries attracting interest from people in the US reconsidering their plans after the election result’– MARIANO MAMERTINO

The UK ranked in 7th place, reflecting ongoing uncertainty in the minds of US jobseekers following the Brexit referendum.

Ratio of post-election US job search share to pre-election share

“Our data shows that a highly charged and competitive election campaign, followed by a widely unexpected result led to an immediate and sharp spike in overseas job searches by Americans,” explained Mariano Mamertino, EMEA economist at Indeed.

“Much had been made in the media during the election campaign of the potential for such an outflow of labour in the event of a Trump victory, but it remains to be seen whether these job searches will translate into a movement of workers.

According to Indeed, the peak day for foreign job searches was Wednesday 9 November, the day after the election, with searches running at double the normal rate.

The educated distrust Trump’s America

Pictured: Enda Kenny with Indeed employees in Dublin. Job site Indeed recently announced expansion plans for its Dublin-based headquarters for EMEA, adding 300 new employees in the next two years. Picture: Jason Clarke

The trend cut across various societal groups: both college graduates and those without a college degree, as well as millennials and Generation Xers.

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The increase however was greater in counties that favoured Clinton over Trump.

Among large metropolitan areas that typically have a high share of foreign job searches, the post-election surge was biggest in Durham, North Carolina; Austin, Texas; and Seattle, Washington — all left-leaning, highly educated urban centres.

On election night, the starkest reaction was the surge of interest in jobs in Canada, the United States’ northern neighbour.

US job searches to Canada. Image: Indeed

In the hour that the election was called for Trump, searches on Indeed for jobs in Canada rose to more than ten times the normal level for that time of day.

“Ireland joined Canada and New Zealand amongst the top three countries attracting interest from people in the US reconsidering their plans after the election result.

“Another large English-speaking economy, the UK, was outside of the top five. As the fallout from the Brexit vote continues, this may indicate increased uncertainty about that market among jobseekers,” Mamertino said.

Updated at 09.26, 18 November 2016: This article was updated to reflect the correct translation of ratios into percentages.

Editor John Kennedy is an award-winning technology journalist. He joined Silicon Republic in 2002 to become the fulcrum of the company’s news service
He was recipient of the Irish Internet Association’s NetVisionary Technology Journalist Award 2005 and Siliconrepublic.com has been awarded ‘Best Technology Site’ at the Irish Web Awards seven times. In 2011 he received the David Manley Award commending him for his dedication to covering entrepreneurs.
His interests include all things technological, music, movies, reading, history, gaming and losing the occasional game of poker.

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